Lawyer for Thai/USA will

[Foxx]

Has anyone managed to find a Thai lawyer (preferably in Bangkok) willing and able to prepare a will covering assets in both Thailand and USA? I've approached six that looked promising, with US connections, but have not got anywhere.

My sole US assets are three accounts with Interactive Brokers (Connecticut), so it seems overkill to create a US will and also to face the cost, time and inconvenience of probate in both Thailand and US.

 

(I'm a British citizen, but resident and domiciled in Thailand.  I have no assets in the UK.)

 

 

Thanks.

[scoutman360]

I am a U.S. citizen living in Thailand, and I have studied this extensively. One cannot make a Will that covers all assets in all countries. The courts in each country will not recognize any part of the Will that discusses assets in a foreign country. So, finding a lawyer to do all that for you would be a difficult task. You need a separate Will for each country in which your assets reside. Fear not. 

 

Writing a Will that is legal in the U.S. for assets in the U.S. is so simple, why would you pay for a lawyer unless you needed to draft something like a "Living Trust" which requires a little more work. Google it, Youtube it, and you will find that Wills can be written by hand on a piece of scrap paper if you want. There are an abundance of "Will templates" online. Many are free. 

 

As for a Will in Thailand. As mentioned, it can only cover your assets in Thailand. It MUST be written in Thai language, but you can include an English translation, which is a good idea. There are a few requirements for Thai Wills which must be adhered to but nothing difficult (e.g., must identify the executor, etc.). You can pay big money for a lawyer which is what I did the first time, then I learned how easy it was, and did all my revisions myself.  And take caution. When I trusted the Thai law firm to write my Will in Thai language, they used low-level admins to write it.  Then I went to a second translation service and found many incorrect translations.